An armed biker gang. Cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed. A mosque in Arizona. What could possibly go wrong?

We’ll find out Friday, when two organizers — Jon Ritzheimer and Flash Nelson — host what’s being billed as a peaceful demonstration outside the Islamic Community Center in Phoenix. It’s the former site of worship for Elton Simpson and Nadir Soofi, who were killed after opening fire outside a May 3 contest featuring cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed in suburban Dallas. Simpson had no direct link to the Islamic State but was sympathetic to its cause. Many Muslims consider depictions of Mohammed blasphemous.

Just like the cartoon contest outside Dallas, this event, scheduled for 6:15 p.m. Friday, appears to welcome controversy. In a Facebook invite, the planners urge attendees to take full advantage of their Second Amendment right to carry weapons. So far, 163 people have RSVP’d...

...[The organizer] Ritzheimer did not return a request for comment Thursday. He told localmedia in Arizona, “I’m a Marine, and I am far from politically correct.… I’m outspoken, and I’ve just had it.”

3 comments:

The First Amendment was written precisely to defend offensive speech. Apparently snowflakes (who might melt) do not remember the Nazi march in Skokie, home to a large group of Holocaust survivors. As hateful as it was to witness neoNazis parading in a predominantly Jewish neighborhood, even the survivors knew that the Nazis' right to free speech was what made America unique in the annals of history. I said 'made' because I'm not sure this tradition can survive if our delicate flowers can't handle words like Aloha as movie title or thug to describe a criminal. Kudos to these men who are standing up for our First Amendment.

The 1st amendment is not designed to protect popular speech; it is designed to protect unpopular speech, even that which is symbolic. The legal right to burn a US flag is testament to how truly free this country was intended to be.